


Sweet Sights

by orphan_account



Series: Bird Box AU [1]
Category: DanPlan
Genre: Bird Box Au, I wldnt say I'm v graphic tho, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Rating May Change, and they were roommates (omg they were roommates), i didnt actually watch the movie pls dont stab me, lets see where this goes boys, that means suicide and violence tw pls be careful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-01-31 18:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21450553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Bird Box AUMinor spoilers - please make sure to read the tags----------------------------"Welcome back to Channel 13 News, 24/7 active news for you.""Today we have a shocking story breaking out of a recent epidemic that has slowly been sweeping the world. Many reports of mass suicide in small towns across every nation have been flooding emergency lines and creating a mass hysteria. The epidemic has been spreading to larger cities and many are starting to claim that this might be the start of the apocalypse.""Although it has not yet reached our small town, it is still heavily advised that you seek shelter and stay insi-""Stephen!" Hosuh yelled accusingly, jumping a bit out of his seat on the couch. The purple haired man simply chuckled in response as he placed down the remote and started to get up and stretch."They were literally talking about what could be the end of the world, what're you doing?" The grey haired man added, looking flabbergasted.Stephen shrugged, half-smirking to himself and putting on his jacket, "C'mon, we need groceries, we can worry about the end of the world later."
Relationships: Hosuh Lee & Stephen Ng, Hosuh Lee/Stephen Ng
Series: Bird Box AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1546354
Comments: 28
Kudos: 155





	1. I. Heavy Metal

Channel 13 News  
"Welcome back to Channel 13 News, 24/7 active news for you."  
"Today we have a shocking story breaking out of a recent epidemic that has slowly been sweeping the world. Many reports of mass suicide in small towns across every nation have been flooding emergency lines and creating a mass hysteria. The epidemic has been spreading to larger cities and many are starting to claim that this might be the start of the apocalypse."  
"Although it has not yet reached our small town, it is still heavily advised that you seek shelter and stay insi-" 

"Stephen!" Hosuh yelled accusingly, jumping a bit out of his seat on the couch. The purple haired man simply chuckled in response as he placed down the remote and started to get up and stretch.  
"They were literally talking about what could be the end of the world, what're you doing?" The grey haired man added, looking flabbergasted.  
Stephen shrugged, half-smirking to himself and putting on his jacket, "C'mon, we need groceries, we can worry about the end of the world later." Hosuh groaned in response but grabbed his jacket and followed his roommate. 

The two had been staying together for about a month after they had graduated highschool, getting along surprisingly well for only having come together because of a mutual friend.  
Hosuh frowned as they made their way to the local grocery store. He made sure not to drag behind his friend after what he had heard on the news. He couldn't help but feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and silent eyes watching him. He shivered, but of course it wasn't from the usual cold weather, as a sudden noise came from a nearby alley. Hosuh nervously glanced over and noticed a tall blonde man staring up at what appeared to be... Nothing. Before he violently twisted around and began banging his head against the gritty cold bricks of the alleyway. Stephen had noticed how the smaller man had stopped by now and paused to see what he was glancing at.  
"Wow, that's a really dedicated heavy metal fan," his roommate joked. Cynical as ever. Hosuh covered his mouth with his hands and took a step back in shock as the blonde continued, blood starting to spray and slowly drip down his forehead and onto the stone and brick surrounding them. By now a very small crowd had started to form, it seemed everyone was also frozen in fear and confusion, but it was easy to put two and two together. 

He felt a warm hand on his head, jumping slightly at the sudden contact and breaking out of his trance. He instinctively followed orders and looked down at the ground despite the growing distant screaming.  
They looked, didn't they, he thought to himself, as blood slowly pooled and splattered on the ground. The roaring sound of chaos and the faint burning smell of smoke filled the air and it suddenly got much warmer. He grabbed onto Stephen's arm and started backing up, "We should get out of here. Nearest house?" he hurriedly said, praying that whatever was going on could be kept out. The other hesitated before begrudgingly agreeing, this was rumored to be the end after all, no time for trust issues.  
They rushed to the nearest neighborhood and Stephen started pounding on the door and demanding to be let in as Hosuh's mind raced, still clutching onto his companion's free arm. He noticed a warmer sliver of light shine through and let go of his sleeve as they rushed inside. He tried to hold back the blush rising to his cheeks as he closed the door, locked it, and allowed his eyes to adjust to the new lighting. He instantly felt himself be calmed as he noticed who was in the room. 

"Daniel and Jay," he exclaimed in relief, leaning against a banister to catch his breath, "I told you not to turn off the TV Stephen! What if they told us how to stop it..."  
The taller man crossed his arms and leaned back as well, not addressing the others in the room, "Unlikely, they would've had people outside trying to end this whole thing if they really knew how. It's only freak you out more." 

"He does have a point, but to be fair Hosuh still looks pretty freaked out," interjected the first familiar golden haired face. Jay was sitting on the stairs with a small smile and his eyes closed as usual, looking way too relaxed for a situation like this.  
"Shut up Jay y-" "Oh yeah also you're welcome for letting you in. I don't remember hearing a thank you," Dan also commented, waving a hand smugly at Stephen, who rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry I was too busy worrying about our lives and actually thinking to remember some simple common courtesies."

Hosuh sighed, "Anyways, what really was that? It seemed to only start hurting that guy when he looked up..." Dan and Jay nodded. "We covered up all the windows and I've got a fair amount of food stashed here for a while. There's only four of us anyways," Dan said proudly, "Apparently the creatures only hurt you if you see them and can't interact much with physical stuff."  
"And we have a shotgun!" Jay chirped, pointing to what was leaning against the other banister, Hosuh swore he heard Stephen quietly cheer under his breath. 

They all decided to quickly break off for a bit to do their own thing before figuring out what to do next. Hosuh settled down on Dan's couch and tried to make a phone call only for it to immediately go to voicemail. He sighed defeatedly for the hundredth time today, only for Stephen to walk in and crouch down besides his spot on the couch, looking a little more serious than before.  
"I'm, uh, sorry about the TV thing from earlier, if that actually really did bother you," he said, staring right at his eyes. Purple on blue. Hosuh coughed to cover up his general embarrassment again but tried to give him a small smile, the most reassuring one he could muster up given the circumstances.  
"It's alright. At least we're all here together now right?" he replied, breaking the eye contact to glance at his phone once again instead, desperate to divert his gaze. "I'm gonna try and see if I contact anyone while the Internet's still up."  
He sighed and smiled back, "Sure, good luck Hos. I'll probably be talking to the others in the meantime. I'll see what we all know." He waved a mini goodbye at his companion before getting up and walking over to the kitchen. Hosuh turned in his spot on the couch and stared down at his phone still, pressing a hand to his face.  
Now really really...  
Really...  
Really...  
Wasn't the time to be thinking about feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 woo  
What do you all think? It's a lil short but it's the only natural break I could come up with aight. Pls correct me if you catch an error I am tired as usual when posting tysm for reading and gn  
I'll prob edit when I'm not about to sleep


	2. II. Subjective

Hosuh's eyes blinked openly slowly, cautious, dark pupils growing and shrinking as they adjusted to the slight darkness in Daniel's house. He let out a small gasp and shrunk back, pressing up against the cushions of the couch and narrowing his eyes again.  
Stephen laughed and scooted away from his friend's spot on the couch, he had sat himself on the ground, in the perfect position to make eye contact with his sleeping roommate when he woke up. 

Hosuh had glared at him with a pout and slightly rosey cheeks while the others into room calmed down from their laughing. "We're you all just sitting in here watching me sleep? Creepy..." he huffed.  
Daniel put his hands up in surrender, quickly replying, "In my defense I did stop them from drawing on your face, so."  
"Yeah whatever..." he pouted more and crossed his arms, pulling out the soft guy card again. Stephen laughed loudly again and grinned, "C'mon Hos, you know you can't hate such a pretty face for long," he leaned on his own hand and winked.  
Hosuh rolled his eyes and jokingly nudged Stephen's head with his foot. "You're all terrible." The grinning man blinked with wide-eyed innocence at the other, who he could swear had kept his light blush. 

"What a perfect way to live out the apocalypse, I'm actually kind of sad the world didn't go out with zombies killing everyone," Jay said with a dreamy tone, "I mean we still got monsters, but they don't even attack inside of people's houses, boring."  
Dan glanced at him with concern, but Stephen held a finger up first. "Right? Like would the monsters even effect you if you were blind? How about at night when it's dark and you can't see? Why can't they hurt us? Kinda lame for world-enders."  
"Stephen, I think the whole point is they're not from our world or something, like supernatural beings. The most they can do is drive people insane from being seen, so I'd say they aren't exactly bound to -" Dan remarked smugly before being cut off by his target.  
"Shut up Daniel your opinion's garbage. Do you really think these are demons?" He paused, "Hosuh you should totally be our test subject."  
Stephen held back a giggle as the victim held out his hands defensively, "What? No! Stephen- Wow I really thought you were sorry, but I see now you were just using me." Hosuh sighed and put his hand on his heart dramatically. Stephen smiled again, forgetting about the situation entirely for a moment. 

"Those are good points though, the people on that one forum said blindfolds seem to keep people from seeing monsters, right? I'd guess blind people are probably fine too." Jay said, pulling out a freshly cut piece of cloth.  
Hosuh nodded along, although he hadn't been awake for their conversation. "I'd expect like a school for the blind to be the safest place, if sight really is a weakness now."  
Dan and Jay started a mini debate on whether or not the darkness would change whether or not you'd be effected by the monsters, but Stephen couldn't help but notice that Hosuh had glanced at his phone and sighed. He tried to be casual when he slid up onto the couch next to Hosuh.  
Damn, was that too close? Too far? He bit the inside of his cheek, leaning on the other armrest of the couch and raised an eyebrow at the debate. He had lived with his roommate for about a year now. He was sure, at first, that he knew him, but it was slowly starting to seem like that wasn't the case. They were both pretty subdued when it was just the two of them, and they were at school or working most of the time.  
Hosuh glanced at him again and delicately placed his phone in his lap, turning to face him. They both stared at eachother for a moment, unsure of what to say. Stephen shot him the best comforting smile he could muster up and cleared his throat.  
"Wow that was really entertaining but this is still the end of the world. I don't know how much stuff you have stocked up, Dan, but it's probably better to raid the nearest grocery store while we still can." 

Stephen forced himself not to flinch or blush when he felt Hosuh lift up his hair gently, making sure none of it got caught as he put on the blindfold. "I can do it myself, you don't need to take care of me," he snapped, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. Hosuh hummed and carefully tied the cloth strip, making sure the knot was as tight as it could be, Stephen assumed, from the amount of pressure he was using. "You know you like being taken care of sometimes~" Hosuh sang gleefully, chuckling a bit. 

Stephen got up and they both switched spots, it was strange to have to feel around for everything, he hadn't been in Dan's house much, so he was wildly slapping whatever surface he could land on. Hosuh audibly sighed and grabbed on his arm, leading him to a resting position behind a chair and placing another cloth in his hand. He heard the chair squeak as his roommate (where they still technically roommates? He wasn't sure he'd get used to not calling him that) sat down. He felt a warm hand on his as he was guided towards Hosuh's face. 

"I told you that I should've done it first," Stephen retorted, obnoxiously poking around the smaller man's face, pretending he was trying to get a feel for what it looked like. Hosuh snorted and swatted at his hand. "Well... I don't know if I'd be coordinated enough to do it with the blindfold on," Hosuh sheepishly replied.  
"You guys are taking years I think all the monsters must be dead by now," Jay called out from the other room.  
Stephen felt his cheeks heat up a bit and opened his mouth to yell back, but was interrupted by a small poke. "Just ignore him, please," Hosuh begged tiredly, causing Stephen to groan and finish the job.  
He tightened it as much as he could and stepped back, "Ta-daa" he said, waving his hands.  
"Stephen, we all have blindfolds on. Hosuh was the last one." Dan replied.  
"Shut up and appreciate my work Dan, I'm saving lives here."  
Hosuh quickly butted in before they continued, "I think it's great Stephen." He smiled smugly, "I'm glad someone understands my dedication. Thanks Hosuh." He heard a small nervous cough in return and started to follow the others as they made their way to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another kind of short one. I think a good uploading schedule is at least 1k a week but I guess we'll see how that goes huh lol  
I'll probably be updating mostly on the weekends of course. I'm also probably going to switch perspective to whoever would best react to events, but I'll try my best to make it clear who the main focus is. Finally, Thank you all for the support I'm really honored by every comment 💜💜 and again, apologies in advance for any errors.


	3. III. Unreal

He tried to steady his breath as they walked, running his hands nervously through his silver hair, smoothing it out as he trekked through the eerie, dead road. His throat lurched at the scent of death and burning. Smokey, rotting wisps, echoing the chaos surrounding him. There was no good way to describe it. It was a suffocating feeling.  
Engulfed in darkness, being forced to rely on every other sense and feeling, the empty void would be more comforting if it wasn't forced. Every sudden shot of the metallic scent of blood, every slight breeze flowing through and carrying the iron bitterness, every choke and gag he had to hold back, every distant scream of agony or soft, teasing whisper gracing his ear.  
Isolation. Despite his quick pace to keep up with the others.  
It was an anxiety inducing cloud clogging his heart and brain and hiding to wait it out was not currently an option. He clenched down on the sleeves of his plush jacket, rubbing the soft inner lining between his thumb and pointer finger. The lonely feeling and lack of visual simulation spurred on more intrusive thoughts, racing through his head while he tried to focus and just make it to their safe point.  
Once we make it to the store everything will be fine, he demanded to himself, clenching already closed eyes.  
Oh, really? How do you know no one's lying about anything? You could already be infected by some suicide demon and not even know it. What does anyone know about these things, hm?  
Shut up, we'll be fine. If me and Stephen could make it to Daniel's house by chance when the outburst first happened, it'll be much easier now. Right? Right... Right. 

He was suddenly broken out of his thoughts by a load and sudden scream. He hadn't sensed another person nearby. He held back another cough and flinched. He tried his best to not seem desperate as he reached out for one of his friends, ultimately landing a hand on Stephen's jacket sleeve, recognizing the fabric immediately. The other didn't even make a noise in reaction, much to Hosuh's relief. His anxiety and loneliness diverted it's attention for a moment, loosening its hold due to the touch, and allowing him to breathe and process the more imminent danger for just a moment before the pleas started up again. 

"Holy fuck- oh my god-" another bloodcurdling scream. Hosuh let go of Stephen's sleeve, but decided to stay close enough that he could sense him moving. "Please oh my god, oh my god, please- y- you have to help me-!" a breathless voice croaked out.  
"Please just- no no no- please take off your blindfold- just for a fucking second please- I- I can't. It's going to kill me please you have to help me!" the voice pleaded once more, cracking with desperation and soaked with fear.  
Stephen shifted in discomfort and shock, as did Dan and Jay, while Hosuh couldn't help but shrink back a bit. There was no way... You couldn't just beg for someone to take off their blindfold in a situation like this. No sane person would ask that, right?  
"Fuck you voice," Stephen mumbled, or, something like that. Hosuh opened his mouth to repond, but was interrupted when he heard a little bit tap on the pavement. Like something light falling to the ground. He held his breath.  
"Nothing seems to be there, nice," Jay said, in that numb, muted, misplaced cheerful tone, over the continuing screeches and gurgles. Dan tried out his own test, to no differing results. Not even a confused noise or comment of confusion from the disembodied voice. Stephen chirped a last "screw you," before the others continued on, basically dragging Hosuh along with. 

But he couldn't really shake the guilt or pains from doing so. Even though almost all evidence pointed to whatever that was just being a monster, it just sounded too real. The voice was oddly familiar, resonating with him in a way that wasn't an outright parrot of another person's voice, but there were certain inflections that pulled all the right strings. Was it targeting him with its tone or where the others just not showing their suspicions and fear? He rubbed his face, careful not to touch or adjust the blindfold in any way. Feeling the emotion weight of everything already, he couldn't even imagine the pain some other survivors may be feeling as well, and he felt something snap beneath his boot. He covered his mouth and yelped, jumping forwards again and sucking in air through his teeth, not wanting to even know what the hell that was.  
He felt someone's 'gaze' on him, although it was unlikely that it was uncovered eyes, and just shook his head to himself. He heard a low murmur from one of the others that they were almost there. He just had to hold onto that string of hope for a bit longer. 

The soft ringing of bells filled the air, true music compared to what he had been burned into his head before. He sighed and shut the door behind him with a final chime and a small snap. He reached a hand out to a cold, cheaply painted wall, resting against it for a moment as he mentally caught up with himself. He felt another hand wrap around his and drag him back behind what he could only assume was a counter or shelf.  
"You sure took your time for someone so worried about this mission. You're fine now, I took my blindfold off for a moment see?" his hand moved to brush against soft skin near under the eye. Not able repress the urge to move his finger back and forth, just to prove it was real to himself, his friend continued, "Let's raid this place and get outta here asap."  
Hosuh felt the grip lighten and he retracted his hand to remove his blindfold, face heating up slightly in embarrassment over, well, practically everything that had happened between Dan's house and up to now. He blinked, allowing his eyes to adjust, catching purple on blue for the second time today as Stephen was positioned in the perfect height to be making eye contact with him.  
He took the silence as a mini cue to look quickly around the store. Florescent lighting still filling the building, taking place of natural light, as the windows were covered in posters and void advertisements. They were crouched behind a store counter, seeing as it was the darkest part of the store and would be easier to readjust to light in. Hosuh peeked his head out to look around the actual store itself, relieved by the gift of sight again. Rich colors, bright eye-catching labels and packaging, prices and discounts calling out for attention. It was good to see some color, the endless darkness having been a soul-sucking experience, even if it was only for a comparably small period of time. He sat back down to face Stephen, who was curiously watching him, seemingly amused.  
He relaxed against the pale, off-white wall of the counter, smiling softly out of worry and relief. "Thank you," he said dipping his head slightly to glance over Stephen, studying him right back. He was sure they both looked slightly roughed up, his feet were certainly tired after the voyage. He didn't look bad by any means, though.  
"I'm just glad I didn't have to hold your hand the whole time," Stephen retorted, shooting him a smirk. Hosuh chuckled, but felt a light blush returning to his face at the thought.  
"Wow looks like chivalry really isn't dead," a feminine voice chirped from above. The two looked up and caught sight of pink pigtails.  
"Ann," Hosuh called out gleefully, ignoring the nervous knot of being caught in a conversation like that. He vaguely remembered that she mentioned travelling to see her parents a while back, but ultimately deciding to stay in the area for a bit longer just to take a break. He was one of the people he had texted to no response, and seeing her face now couldn't have been any more relieving.  
The pink-haired woman winked right back, standing up straight and tapping the desk, "I guess it's a good thing I stuck around in this dusty ass store," she snipped, glancing between the two under the desk.  
She raised an eyebrow at Hosuh, but turned around with a smile, as if saying 'I'll leave you two be', quietly snickering as she wandered away. Once she had walked off, presumably to see where the other two had scurried off to, Hosuh quickly turned back around to face the taller man, who was oddly silent during the exchange and still looking at him. It was a little strange, a masked expression that was purposefully unemotional. Then he smiled, slightly, just a sliver this time, and sighed, starting to get up, "Let's see what's up for grabs." The smaller man pressed his lips together, but got up too, kind of wishing he could just sit there in the safety of the store and just talk to him as they hadn't gotten to just sit down and talk. He wistfully redid his low ponytail and followed Stephen in his mini exploration.  
He stepped lightly, avoiding making too much noise as he walked through the chaos of the store. Many people had probably rushed out of the building in a panic once they saw the eruption of blood and fire coming from the outside. At least someone has the decency to leave the posters up, unintentionally leaving it a safe space for anyone who passed by after learning about the creatures and the cause of the suicide outbreak. 

Freezing in his place, he stared down at a small stuffed animal flopped on the ground, instantly feeling his heart shatter. A little cat plush, thrown to the side and slightly hidden under a pile of bags and cheap, shiny plastic. He crouched down and adjusted it to be sitting upright, petting it's soft cheek fur. It was soft, stringy, a mock fur texture. A sweet ginger and honey calico with beady green glittering glass eyes. He frowned at its little collar, raising a hand to his face to cover his mouth in a shocked sadness.  
'Belongs to Elissa, please return me if I'm lost!'  
He rested the cat on the shelf, got up, and stepped back, the heavy feeling returning as the weight of it all kicked in again. It was a given, but impossible to comprehend. It wasn't just adults that would die a horrific death from these terrible creatures.  
He was nudged out of his thoughts by a faint tap. How could he have forgotten he had stuck close to someone else? How embarrassing. He winced, waiting for a snarky reply from the purple haired man, before remembering what he was studying to hopefully become.  
They stood there in a mutual silence for a moment, both pairs of eyes glazed over and staring at the shelf before snapping to meet eachother in quiet understanding. Hosuh stepped closer to him, turning to look down at the ground out of habit. There wasn't really anything to say, they couldn't apologize or really speak about the situation in front of them. It was one of those true, unforced moments of silence. Where words tangle up in your throat and your thoughts get caught in the ropes as you try to understand what you're feeling. Empathy, for knowing the deep hole death could leave in someone's heart? Fear, for the sickening and unspeakable conclusion all the evidence pointed to? Pure sadness, over the mere thought of what had happened, just from the concept of someone so young and innocent not taking another breath again, for the strike that injures any soul that is graced with the depressing news?  
Stephen reached out, after what had to be a million years, he gently grabbed onto Hosuh's wrist again and dragged him forward, ripping his attention away from the plush. All this eye contact was going to absolutely suffocate him. "We should probably talk after we get back, okay?"  
Hosuh's mouth opened before he was ready to respond, words slipping out carelessly, "Yeah, of course."  
They heard a loud call from further back in the store and with that the sweet touch was gone. Stephen perked up instantly to go investigate what the others had done, returning to his mischievous nature. Hosuh sighed and trailed after him, praying the noise wasn't from something being caught on fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, this is posted late at night, so some errors are bound to happen! Let me know how the formatting is, I hope it's easier to read this way.  
And again, thank you all for the support it truly means a lot to me and I'm relieved this community is so welcoming and sweet, it's a good change of pace to be sure.


	4. Chapter 4 bit + Update

Hosuh inspected the birdcage curiously, almost sticking his finger in to see how the soft yellow birds would react. They were currently peaceful and serene, with two birds huddled on a fake branch in the cage, eyes closed and ducked heads. He sighed, resting his head on the palm of his left hand as he toyed with some birdseed in his hand, trying to find the best way to feed it to a smaller, hyper bird that was flapping at him.  
"See? They're pretty cute," Ann proudly proclaimed, reaching into the feed bag and casually refilling a small food dish. She'd apparently already acquainted herself with the birds in the cage, despite having only shortly started camping out in the store. "That one reminds me of you, I named them Hosuh Bird," she added, smiling and pointing to one of the birds in the couple, who had slightly duller colors compared to the rest.  
"It's the only one who hasn't bitten me yet, plus his feathers are going all gray," she playfully batted at his ponytail, Hosuh huffed and moved his hair to his other shoulder. Ann smiled wider and got a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Wanna hear what the others are named?"  
Hosuh opened his mouth, before catching what she was planning. Knowing that gremlin, she would probably say something like "The taller one he's cuddling with is..." in an attempt to get him all flustered. "You're evil. I know your game," he replied instead, sticking out his tongue slightly as the she cackled.  
There was a slight pause as Ann calmed down, a shift in the air almost. A scream cut through the cheerful giggles like a clean blade through paper, shooting a shiver down Hosuh's spine. It was too easy to forget the situation he was in. He noticed Ann reach towards the cage and tugged on her sleeve to pull the both of them down to duck behind the desk they were resting by. The small creatures mimicked his heart and mind, erupting into chaos and flapping around in the cage with terrified chirps. Ann stared down at them with complete worry before glancing up at her friend, both suddenly understanding. Hosuh glanced around the desk for a moment, in an attempt to see what the others were doing. Jay was pressed up behind a shelf, with Stephen and Dan behind another to the left of him. Stephen caught his gaze and shot a finger to his lips, quietly shushing him, which Hosuh nodded at, turning back around to stare at the wall.  
He covered his mouth with his hand, mind racing and heart rate picking up once more. Could the monsters hear? Could they see? He was and was going to be so tired. He opened his eyes to chance a glance at the Hosuh Bird, who was much less active than the other birds, who were violently flapping still. Were his wings clipped? Was he injured? Too many things were happening right now, it was easier to focus on a small and soft and delicate creature, but it seemed to him that they were all calming down. At least, they seemed to be thrashing around a little less, almost settling back into their original positions.  
He slumped back against the cold wood desk's wall. Hands reaching up rub his eyes, as Ann seemed to relax as well, her eyes still tracked on the cage.  
"Do you think... We could keep them?" she said, a little loud, as if she was speaking to Dan. He wondered if the others had decided to let her stay with them, then.  
"You're being awfully loud, considering we could've died just then," Jay butted in, Hosuh heard the ruffling of clothes and some muffled mumbles. He peaked back out and just gave them his best tired mom look.  
He nodded to Ann and slowly moved to grip the base of the cage, as she caught on they lifted it onto the counter again. "They calmed down, see?" Hosuh chirped, gesturing at the birds, who seemed to be acting as nothing had happened, "Do you think they can sense them? Or maybe even all animals can? I can imagine it'd be easy for them to."  
Stephen tilted his head, "Well I can see how that logic works out, but you can't actually expect us to be able to carry that thing all the way back." Dan nudged him, but Jay nodded as well, "Yeah, wouldn't they create more noise as well?"  
"I think... It's worth a shot? How heavy is it really, Ann?" Dan asked, smirking, "That'd be a more valid weight measurement, since we know Hosuh would think any things kind of heavy." His jaw dropped and he pouted as Dan, holding back laughter in an attempt to seem upset. "I'm hurt." he stated simply, as quieted laughter took over the group for a moment.  
Ann lifted it up carefully, struggling a bit, but reporting that it "wasn't too bad, but a two person job, you guys are just mean," as Hosuh gestured back an "I told you so." he noticed Stephen giggle sweetly and pushed down an further embarrassed blush.  
Dan got up finally, addressing the group with authority. "If we're gonna bring that thing along, we better get going, it's getting late." Which started their long, but thankfully uneventful, journey back home.  
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Hello folks, I really hate to cut this off short, but in light of Stephen's new video (please watch it if you haven't already it's on his channel Actually Stephen) I decided to cut this fic off here. I don't feel comfortable continuing this fic when Stephen is uncomfortable being on the channel and the stuff that was happening behind the scenes we didn't hear about. This may be something weird coming from a fic writer ahah, but I do still care about the opinions and comfort of the actual people featured here. Since Stephen doesn't consider himself part of the channel and doesn't consider himself friends with Dan I'd feel weird writing about them like nothing has happened. I won't express my opinions because they don't really matter right now, I just feel horrible for the whole DanPlan crew. Damn. If you like Stephen please remember to subscribe to his YouTube channel Actually Stephen and support him through there. I can't imagine being in that situation. 

As you can see I didn't get too far writing this part because of all the holidays, but thank you all for supporting me and sticking with me this far! I'm sorry I have to cut it off like this. I may come back and write out a couple of the specific scenes I had planned that I still like, or maybe a finale thing of sorts, but don't expect them. This is a great community and you're all amazing and kind though. Thanks again. 

If anyone does happen to wish to continue the story or use this au as inspiration feel free to do so. All I ask is that you change it so that way they don't meet up with Dan and Jay. Just keep it Stosuh only out of respect for the real people.


	5. V. Sweet Sights Indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 💜

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couldn't resist adding a sweet ending, I am weak alright. Consider this and au of an au, one where they were at it alone and never met up with the others. 
> 
> This is by no means what I intended for the ending, but it fits and they deserved a sweet finale. Yeah, it's pure fluffy sugar that I didn't heavily proofread. It's slightly ambiguous, so go let your imagination go wild.
> 
> Listened to "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" by Stars while writing this. It's sad, but a good coping song in general. Doesn't have to actually relate to this fic, I just wanted to share because it's a good song to cry to, makes me feel like good things are on their way. And if you listen to it, I hope it's the same for you.

Soft light shone through the covered windows, barely visible through the thick boards covering the glass. Stephen sighed as he slowly closed the old creaky door behind him, trying his best to keep it from waking up his friend, although he saw him flinch when the automatic lock clicked. He set down his tray of food on the small dresser they had found and cleaned up from an abandoned house. It was quite a catch, considering it was one of the only houses they'd come across that wasn't coated in blood. He stepped forward to sit besides the sleeping figure currently resting in their shared bed. His heart ached from the sight of silver hair slightly poking out from under pitch black covers. He moved the thick cloth down slightly to gently pet the figure. He'd decided today would be a good day. A good day needed a gentle start, the two of them needed a break, after all.  
Hosuh groaned from underneath the covers, poking his head out and slowly blinking up at Stephen with tired eyes. He leaned into the touch but didn't seem too pleased to be woken up. Stephen chuckled and scooted back to allow his friend to sit up, stretch, and rub his eyes. Hosuh felt around for his brush as he yawned, turning to face him while untangling his smooth silver hair.  
"This is going to sound crazy-" Stephen started, Hosuh chuckled at his remark as if to say 'of course it will'. "But it looks like we all finally got the mechanics of the farm to work, so we made this delicacy." He placed the tray on their bed in between the two of them with a "boom". Hosuh gasped softly and set down the brush to pick up the small cookie Stephen had wrapped in a napkin.  
"Don't get too excited," he smiled, "It's crushed up granola, peanut butter, plus some blackberries for fun. Also apparently you can make this stuff that's like a glaze with sugar and water? That's what Marilyn said at least. But that's there too." He looked up at Hosuh after finishing his ramble, watching the smaller man take a bite and sigh. Hosuh quickly shoved the whole thing in his mouth after finishing his first bite, then reaching to sip from a glass of water Stephen has also brought into their room.  
Hosuh downed the glass and paused to grin at Stephen before reaching forwards to pull him in for a hug. "That was very dry, but it's still the best thing I've had in ages," he murmured softly, pressing against the taller man adoringly, "I can't believe this is real."  
"It's a break day, so something nice was in order. You did have the bright idea to go to a school for the blind after all." Stephen responded, wrapping his arms around the other protectively in return. They stayed still for a moment longer before Hosuh moved to tie his hair up again, he placed the tray back on the dresser for later as Hosuh replied, "You deserve a break too. I don't think there's anyone else I'd want to be forced to fight through an apocalypse with. I'm glad we're here, we can breathe easi...er."  
Stephen sighed as he leaned against the bed's headboard, Hosuh disappearing to get ready, he decides to reflect a bit. They'd started as reluctant roommates to two people thrust into the apocalypse without warning, and seeing as they were in an isolated spot with no close contacts, it was up to them to make it by. It had been a wild ride and the feeling of complete relief when they had been allowed into this school was still fresh in his mind. He had only been with Hosuh for the longest time, and he by no means would complain about that, but he was able to get away from the outside in here. He mostly had Hosuh to thank, for the idea, for his patience in coaxing him go let his guard down, and also of course being willing to share the bed as they'd been forced to share one of the last open rooms.  
While he still really only truly trusted his companion, being able to rely on others was nice, less lonely. And now they could do things like this, just sit down and eat weird survivor cookies and talk about nothing and actually take care of themselves. They still had to be alert, but it was dialed down heavily from what it had been before. Despite the walls of the school, he felt free.  
Hosuh hummed as he sat back down on the bed, a couple books in braille resting by his side. "Do you want to read today?" he politely asked, "Or I could read it to you if you're feeling lazy."  
Stephen shifted to cross his arms, leaning to rest his head on Hosuh's thigh as they both got comfortable. "Serenade me," he joked, winking at his partner, who blushed lightly before picking up the first book. Hosuh leaned against a pillow and closed his eyes, finger brushing against bumps in the pages as he read out loud. His other hand was copying his strokes against pages onto Stephen's hand, something the taller man had noticed to be a habit. Not that he minded the soft and delicate tracing on his palm.  
He glanced up at Hosuh, who seemed go notice and blush deeper despite closed eyes. He took in the view, how the slight natural light warmed the room and enhanced each slight bump or scar. He sighed contentedly before closing his eyes as well. A sweet sight indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said what I wanted to in my previous update, this is my treat to you guys. Thanks for 100 kudos and cheers to the new year. Sorry it seems to have started out rough, but I do wish for the best for everyone. And I mean everyone. Truly.


End file.
